To the Editor:

My name is Sophie Nugent and I am a 5th grade student at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Ogdensburg. I am writing because I would like to help save my public library.

Books are really important to me and my family because we love to read. Sheila Clark-Edmands says, "Reading is important because it offers other ways to gain information and to encounter picturesque places and fascinating people you might never have the opportunity to learn about."

The Ogdensburg Public Library opens their doors to the community and lets them experience books. They often have the same books that we read in school and that is very helpful. It is also helpful to have a public library so that we can borrow books instead of buying them online.

The library helps the community in other ways, too. It offers a place for kids to study after school. And, it opens its doors to local groups. My sister's Girl Scout troop meets there every week. And, during the COVID-19 crisis, they have offered free curbside craft pickups. These crafts have helped to keep my sister and I busy using our imaginations.

The Ogdensburg Public Library is a very special place. I hope you will join me in doing what you can to keep it open. There will be a referendum on the May 18 school budget ballot to fund the library with $225,000. Please vote "Yes"!

Sophie Nugent

Ogdensburg